US9395695B2 - Lighting apparatus of clock for vehicle - Google Patents

Lighting apparatus of clock for vehicle Download PDF

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Publication number
US9395695B2
US9395695B2 US14/322,621 US201414322621A US9395695B2 US 9395695 B2 US9395695 B2 US 9395695B2 US 201414322621 A US201414322621 A US 201414322621A US 9395695 B2 US9395695 B2 US 9395695B2
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Prior art keywords
light
case
reflector
prism
dial plate
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US14/322,621
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US20150175066A1 (en
Inventor
Hyun Kim
Yong Soo Chang
Bock Cheol Lee
Wook Hyun Choi
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Hyundai Motor Co
Kia Corp
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Hyundai Motor Co
Kia Motors Corp
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Publication date
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Assigned to KIA MOTORS CORP., HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY reassignment KIA MOTORS CORP. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: CHANG, YONG SOO, CHOI, WOOK HYUN, LEE, BOCK CHEOL, KIM, HYUN
Publication of US20150175066A1 publication Critical patent/US20150175066A1/en
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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60Q—ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60Q3/00—Arrangement of lighting devices for vehicle interiors; Lighting devices specially adapted for vehicle interiors
    • B60Q3/20—Arrangement of lighting devices for vehicle interiors; Lighting devices specially adapted for vehicle interiors for lighting specific fittings of passenger or driving compartments; mounted on specific fittings of passenger or driving compartments
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G04—HOROLOGY
    • G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
    • G04B19/00—Indicating the time by visual means
    • G04B19/30—Illumination of dials or hands
    • B60Q3/04—
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60Q—ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60Q3/00—Arrangement of lighting devices for vehicle interiors; Lighting devices specially adapted for vehicle interiors
    • B60Q3/10—Arrangement of lighting devices for vehicle interiors; Lighting devices specially adapted for vehicle interiors for dashboards
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60Q—ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60Q3/00—Arrangement of lighting devices for vehicle interiors; Lighting devices specially adapted for vehicle interiors
    • B60Q3/60—Arrangement of lighting devices for vehicle interiors; Lighting devices specially adapted for vehicle interiors characterised by optical aspects
    • B60Q3/62—Arrangement of lighting devices for vehicle interiors; Lighting devices specially adapted for vehicle interiors characterised by optical aspects using light guides
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F21—LIGHTING
    • F21S—NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
    • F21S43/00—Signalling devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. brake lamps, direction indicator lights or reversing lights
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F21—LIGHTING
    • F21V—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F21V13/00—Producing particular characteristics or distribution of the light emitted by means of a combination of elements specified in two or more of main groups F21V1/00 - F21V11/00
    • F21V13/12—Combinations of only three kinds of elements
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F21—LIGHTING
    • F21V—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F21V33/00—Structural combinations of lighting devices with other articles, not otherwise provided for
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F21—LIGHTING
    • F21W—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO USES OR APPLICATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS
    • F21W2106/00—Interior vehicle lighting devices
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F21—LIGHTING
    • F21W—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO USES OR APPLICATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS
    • F21W2107/00—Use or application of lighting devices on or in particular types of vehicles
    • F21W2107/10—Use or application of lighting devices on or in particular types of vehicles for land vehicles
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01D—MEASURING NOT SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR A SPECIFIC VARIABLE; ARRANGEMENTS FOR MEASURING TWO OR MORE VARIABLES NOT COVERED IN A SINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS; TARIFF METERING APPARATUS; MEASURING OR TESTING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G01D11/00—Component parts of measuring arrangements not specially adapted for a specific variable
    • G01D11/28—Structurally-combined illuminating devices

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a lighting apparatus of a clock for a vehicle, and more particularly, to a lighting apparatus of a clock for a vehicle capable of improving night visibility and promoting a weight reduction and a cost reduction.
  • a clock mounted in a vehicle needs to have a condition capable of securing sufficient visibility at the time of driving at night.
  • a lighting apparatus of a clock for a vehicle for achieving this condition is configured to include a printed circuit board (PCB) 1 for supplying power, a light emitting diode (LED) light source 2 generating light, a prism 3 forming a wave guide to guide a travel of the light generated from the light source 2 , and diffuser 5 uniformly diffusing the light guided from the prism 3 toward a dial plate 4 , as shown in FIG. 1 .
  • PCB printed circuit board
  • LED light emitting diode
  • the lighting apparatus since the lighting apparatus according to the related art has the prism 3 configured at a front end of the light source 2 and the diffuser 5 configured at a front end of the prism 3 , the prism 3 simply guides the travel of light and the diffuser 5 diffuses light. Therefore, since a portion of light diffused through the diffuser 5 is scattered (an arrow M 1 ) to a side of the dial plate 4 and is dissipated, light loss may be caused, thereby reducing night visibility.
  • the number of light sources 2 needs to be increased. As a result, the number of parts, weight, and costs may be increased, respectively.
  • the dial plate 4 configuring a portion of the lighting apparatus of the clock which is mainly colored with white is used.
  • the white dial plate 4 has a crash of colors with an interior material colored with a dark color (black, brown, or the like) to seek luxuriousness, thereby reducing luxuriousness of the vehicle.
  • Various aspects of the present invention provide for a lighting apparatus of a clock for a vehicle capable of significantly improving night visibility by removing light scattered and dissipated to a side of a dial plate and promoting a reduction of the number of parts, a weight reduction, and a cost reduction by improving visibility.
  • Various aspects of the present invention contribute to implementing a luxuriousness image of a vehicle through color harmony of a dial plate and an interior material by implementing a color of the dial plate configuring a portion of the lighting apparatus of the clock for the vehicle with a dark color in harmony with a color of the interior material and forming a light transmitting part in the dial plate to thereby secure visibility of a time display unit.
  • a lighting apparatus of a clock for a vehicle may include a printed circuit board (PCB) for supplying power, a light source electrically connected to the PCB and generating light, a reflector installed to be positioned at a front of the light source and positioned in a case and guiding the light generated from the light source together with the case, and a prism installed to be positioned at a front of the reflector and surround a dial plate and concentrating the light guided by the reflector and the case into the dial plate.
  • PCB printed circuit board
  • the light source may be installed to be positioned between the case and the reflector.
  • a bottom of the prism may be provided with a plurality of diffusing dots implementing a rear lighting of the dial plate by refracting and scattering light that has been branched into the bottom of the prism.
  • the light source may be a light emitting diode (LED) light source capable of increasing energy efficiency.
  • the reflector may have a size smaller than the case, such that when the reflector is installed in the case, a space may be formed between the case and the reflector, and the light source may be positioned in the space between the case and the reflector.
  • the case may serve as a wave guide reflecting light from the light source together with the reflector to thereby guide the light to the prism.
  • the case may have inner surfaces coated to have a condition favorable to reflection of light.
  • the diffusing dots may be formed on the bottom of the prism and protruded to a rear surface facing the PCB.
  • the dial plate may be provided with side portions connected to the bottom, and the side portions may surround an outer frame of the dial plate to prevent light from being scattered and dissipated to a side of the dial plate. Outer ends of the side portions may be formed to include an inclined surface or surfaces to concentrate light into a center of the dial plate, thereby implementing a side lighting of the dial plate by the side portions of the prism.
  • the dial plate may be formed to have a dark color in harmony with a color of an interior material, and the dial plate may be provided with a light transmitting part to secure visibility of a time display unit.
  • FIG. 1 is a view for describing a lighting apparatus of a clock for a vehicle according to the related art
  • FIGS. 2 to 4 are assembled or exploded views illustrating an exemplary lighting apparatus of a clock for a vehicle according to the present invention.
  • FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view, taken along line I-I of FIG. 2 , schematically showing a configuration of an exemplary lighting apparatus according to the present invention.
  • a lighting apparatus of a clock for a vehicle is configured to include a printed circuit board (PCB) 10 for supplying power; a light source 20 electrically connected to the PCB 10 and generating light; a reflector 40 installed so as to be positioned at a front of the light source 20 and positioned in a case 30 and guiding a travel of light generated from the light source 20 together with the case 30 ; and a prism 60 installed so as to be positioned at a front of the reflector 40 and surround a dial plate 50 and concentrating light guided from the reflector 40 into the dial plate 50 , as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 .
  • PCB printed circuit board
  • a light emitting diode may be used to increase energy efficiency, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
  • the reflector 40 When the reflector 40 is installed in the case 30 , the reflector 40 is installed to provide a space between the case 30 and the reflector 40 and is installed to position the light source 20 in the space between the case 30 and the reflector 40 .
  • the case 30 serves as a wave guide reflecting light from the light source 20 together with the reflector 40 to thereby guide the travel of light to the prism 60 .
  • inner surfaces of the case 30 may be configured to have a condition favorable to reflection of light and may be coated to facilitate the reflection of light, as an example.
  • a bottom 61 of the prism 60 is integrally provided with a plurality of diffusing dots 62 implementing a rear lighting of the dial plate 50 by refracting and scattering light branched into the bottom 61 .
  • the diffusing dot 62 may be formed on a rear surface of the bottom 61 , that is, a surface facing the PCB 10 .
  • the bottom 61 of the prism 60 is integrally provided with the diffusing dots 62 , a diffuser which is separately configured to diffuse light according to the related art is not used, thereby making it possible to promote a reduction of the number of parts, a weight reduction, and a cost reduction.
  • the prism 60 is provide with side portions 63 connected to the bottom 61 , wherein the side portion 63 has a shape surrounding an outer frame of the dial plate 50 , thereby making it possible to prevent light from being scattered and dissipated to a side of the dial plate 50 .
  • the side portions 63 of the prism 60 serve to concentrate light branched from bottom 61 to the side portions 63 into the center of the dial plate 50 to thereby implement a side lighting, thereby making it possible to significantly improve night visibility of the clock.
  • the number of LED light source 20 used may be decreased, thereby making it possible to promote the reduction of the number of parts and the cost reduction.
  • outer ends of the side portions 63 may be formed of an inclined surface 64 so that light may be concentrated into the center of the dial plate 50 .
  • the dial plate 50 may be colored with a dark color (black series) in harmony with a color of an interior material to implement a luxuriousness image of a vehicle.
  • the dial plate 50 may be provided with a light transmitting part 51 by an etching process, or the like to secure visibility of a time display unit.
  • the rear lighting and the side lighting of the dial plate 50 may be implemented and light may be concentrated into the center of the dial plate 50 by the diffusing dots 62 provided on the bottom 61 of the prism 60 and the inclined surface 64 of the side portions 63 , thereby making it possible to maximally decrease loss of light scattered and dissipated to the outside of the dial plate 50 .
  • visibility of the clock for the vehicle may be significantly improved.
  • the present invention since the present invention has the configuration in which the diffusing dots 62 diffusing light is integrally provided in the prism 60 , the use of the diffuser may be excluded, thereby making it possible to promote the reduction of the number of parts, the weight reduction and the cost reduction.
  • the present invention forms the color of the dial plate 50 configuring a portion of the lighting apparatus of the clock with the dark color (black series) in harmony with the color of the interior material of the vehicle, thereby making it possible to implement the luxuriousness image of the vehicle.
  • the light transmitting part 51 is formed in the dial plate 50 , thereby making it possible to significantly improve visibility of the time display unit.
  • visibility of the clock for the vehicle may be significantly improved by implementing the rear lighting and the side lighting of the dial plate by the bottom of the prism having the diffusing dots formed thereon and the side portion of the prism surrounding the dial plate and concentrating light into the center of the dial plate, the reduction of the number of parts, the weight reduction, and the cost reduction may be promoted by excluding the use of the diffuser diffusing light, and the luxuriousness image of the vehicle may be improved by implementing the color of the dial plate 50 with the dark color in harmony with the color of the interior material of the vehicle.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Arrangements Of Lighting Devices For Vehicle Interiors, Mounting And Supporting Thereof, Circuits Therefore (AREA)
  • Details Of Measuring Devices (AREA)
  • Non-Portable Lighting Devices Or Systems Thereof (AREA)

Abstract

A lighting apparatus may include a printed circuit board (PCB) for supplying power, a light source electrically connected to the PCB and generating light, a reflector installed to be positioned at a front of the light source and positioned in a case and guiding the light generated from the light source together with the case, and a prism installed to be positioned at a front of the reflector and surround a dial plate and concentrating the light guided by the reflector and the case into the dial plate.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
The present application claims priority of Korean Patent Application Number 10-2013-0159540 filed on Dec. 19, 2013, the entire contents of which application are incorporated herein for all purposes by this reference.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a lighting apparatus of a clock for a vehicle, and more particularly, to a lighting apparatus of a clock for a vehicle capable of improving night visibility and promoting a weight reduction and a cost reduction.
2. Description of Related Art
A clock mounted in a vehicle needs to have a condition capable of securing sufficient visibility at the time of driving at night.
A lighting apparatus of a clock for a vehicle for achieving this condition is configured to include a printed circuit board (PCB) 1 for supplying power, a light emitting diode (LED) light source 2 generating light, a prism 3 forming a wave guide to guide a travel of the light generated from the light source 2, and diffuser 5 uniformly diffusing the light guided from the prism 3 toward a dial plate 4, as shown in FIG. 1.
However, since the lighting apparatus according to the related art has the prism 3 configured at a front end of the light source 2 and the diffuser 5 configured at a front end of the prism 3, the prism 3 simply guides the travel of light and the diffuser 5 diffuses light. Therefore, since a portion of light diffused through the diffuser 5 is scattered (an arrow M1) to a side of the dial plate 4 and is dissipated, light loss may be caused, thereby reducing night visibility.
In addition, in order to secure sufficient visibility considering light loss, the number of light sources 2 needs to be increased. As a result, the number of parts, weight, and costs may be increased, respectively.
In addition, the dial plate 4 configuring a portion of the lighting apparatus of the clock which is mainly colored with white is used. However, the white dial plate 4 has a crash of colors with an interior material colored with a dark color (black, brown, or the like) to seek luxuriousness, thereby reducing luxuriousness of the vehicle.
The information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
Various aspects of the present invention provide for a lighting apparatus of a clock for a vehicle capable of significantly improving night visibility by removing light scattered and dissipated to a side of a dial plate and promoting a reduction of the number of parts, a weight reduction, and a cost reduction by improving visibility.
Various aspects of the present invention contribute to implementing a luxuriousness image of a vehicle through color harmony of a dial plate and an interior material by implementing a color of the dial plate configuring a portion of the lighting apparatus of the clock for the vehicle with a dark color in harmony with a color of the interior material and forming a light transmitting part in the dial plate to thereby secure visibility of a time display unit.
According to various aspects of the present invention, there is provided a lighting apparatus of a clock for a vehicle that may include a printed circuit board (PCB) for supplying power, a light source electrically connected to the PCB and generating light, a reflector installed to be positioned at a front of the light source and positioned in a case and guiding the light generated from the light source together with the case, and a prism installed to be positioned at a front of the reflector and surround a dial plate and concentrating the light guided by the reflector and the case into the dial plate.
The light source may be installed to be positioned between the case and the reflector. A bottom of the prism may be provided with a plurality of diffusing dots implementing a rear lighting of the dial plate by refracting and scattering light that has been branched into the bottom of the prism. The light source may be a light emitting diode (LED) light source capable of increasing energy efficiency.
The reflector may have a size smaller than the case, such that when the reflector is installed in the case, a space may be formed between the case and the reflector, and the light source may be positioned in the space between the case and the reflector. The case may serve as a wave guide reflecting light from the light source together with the reflector to thereby guide the light to the prism. The case may have inner surfaces coated to have a condition favorable to reflection of light. The diffusing dots may be formed on the bottom of the prism and protruded to a rear surface facing the PCB.
The dial plate may be provided with side portions connected to the bottom, and the side portions may surround an outer frame of the dial plate to prevent light from being scattered and dissipated to a side of the dial plate. Outer ends of the side portions may be formed to include an inclined surface or surfaces to concentrate light into a center of the dial plate, thereby implementing a side lighting of the dial plate by the side portions of the prism.
The dial plate may be formed to have a dark color in harmony with a color of an interior material, and the dial plate may be provided with a light transmitting part to secure visibility of a time display unit.
The methods and apparatuses of the present invention have other features and advantages which will be apparent from or are set forth in more detail in the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein, and the following Detailed Description, which together serve to explain certain principles of the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a view for describing a lighting apparatus of a clock for a vehicle according to the related art;
FIGS. 2 to 4 are assembled or exploded views illustrating an exemplary lighting apparatus of a clock for a vehicle according to the present invention; and
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view, taken along line I-I of FIG. 2, schematically showing a configuration of an exemplary lighting apparatus according to the present invention.
 DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present invention(s), examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below. While the invention(s) will be described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments, it will be understood that present description is not intended to limit the invention(s) to those exemplary embodiments. On the contrary, the invention(s) is/are intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents and other embodiments, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
A lighting apparatus of a clock for a vehicle according to various embodiments of the present invention is configured to include a printed circuit board (PCB) 10 for supplying power; a light source 20 electrically connected to the PCB 10 and generating light; a reflector 40 installed so as to be positioned at a front of the light source 20 and positioned in a case 30 and guiding a travel of light generated from the light source 20 together with the case 30; and a prism 60 installed so as to be positioned at a front of the reflector 40 and surround a dial plate 50 and concentrating light guided from the reflector 40 into the dial plate 50, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5.
As the light source 20, a light emitting diode (LED) may be used to increase energy efficiency, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
When the reflector 40 is installed in the case 30, the reflector 40 is installed to provide a space between the case 30 and the reflector 40 and is installed to position the light source 20 in the space between the case 30 and the reflector 40.
The case 30 serves as a wave guide reflecting light from the light source 20 together with the reflector 40 to thereby guide the travel of light to the prism 60. To this end, inner surfaces of the case 30 may be configured to have a condition favorable to reflection of light and may be coated to facilitate the reflection of light, as an example.
A bottom 61 of the prism 60 is integrally provided with a plurality of diffusing dots 62 implementing a rear lighting of the dial plate 50 by refracting and scattering light branched into the bottom 61. One will appreciate that such integral components may be monolithically formed. The diffusing dot 62 may be formed on a rear surface of the bottom 61, that is, a surface facing the PCB 10.
As described above, since the bottom 61 of the prism 60 is integrally provided with the diffusing dots 62, a diffuser which is separately configured to diffuse light according to the related art is not used, thereby making it possible to promote a reduction of the number of parts, a weight reduction, and a cost reduction.
In addition, the prism 60 is provide with side portions 63 connected to the bottom 61, wherein the side portion 63 has a shape surrounding an outer frame of the dial plate 50, thereby making it possible to prevent light from being scattered and dissipated to a side of the dial plate 50.
Particularly, the side portions 63 of the prism 60 serve to concentrate light branched from bottom 61 to the side portions 63 into the center of the dial plate 50 to thereby implement a side lighting, thereby making it possible to significantly improve night visibility of the clock.
In the case in which visibility of clock is significantly improved by the prism 60 according to various embodiments of the present invention, the number of LED light source 20 used may be decreased, thereby making it possible to promote the reduction of the number of parts and the cost reduction.
In addition, in order to implement the side lighting of the dial plate 50 by the side portions 63 of the prism 60, outer ends of the side portions 63 may be formed of an inclined surface 64 so that light may be concentrated into the center of the dial plate 50.
In addition, the dial plate 50 may be colored with a dark color (black series) in harmony with a color of an interior material to implement a luxuriousness image of a vehicle. In this case, the dial plate 50 may be provided with a light transmitting part 51 by an etching process, or the like to secure visibility of a time display unit.
As described above, according to various embodiments of the present invention, the rear lighting and the side lighting of the dial plate 50 may be implemented and light may be concentrated into the center of the dial plate 50 by the diffusing dots 62 provided on the bottom 61 of the prism 60 and the inclined surface 64 of the side portions 63, thereby making it possible to maximally decrease loss of light scattered and dissipated to the outside of the dial plate 50. As a result, visibility of the clock for the vehicle may be significantly improved.
In addition, since the present invention has the configuration in which the diffusing dots 62 diffusing light is integrally provided in the prism 60, the use of the diffuser may be excluded, thereby making it possible to promote the reduction of the number of parts, the weight reduction and the cost reduction.
In addition, the present invention forms the color of the dial plate 50 configuring a portion of the lighting apparatus of the clock with the dark color (black series) in harmony with the color of the interior material of the vehicle, thereby making it possible to implement the luxuriousness image of the vehicle. Particularly, the light transmitting part 51 is formed in the dial plate 50, thereby making it possible to significantly improve visibility of the time display unit.
According to various embodiments of the present invention, visibility of the clock for the vehicle may be significantly improved by implementing the rear lighting and the side lighting of the dial plate by the bottom of the prism having the diffusing dots formed thereon and the side portion of the prism surrounding the dial plate and concentrating light into the center of the dial plate, the reduction of the number of parts, the weight reduction, and the cost reduction may be promoted by excluding the use of the diffuser diffusing light, and the luxuriousness image of the vehicle may be improved by implementing the color of the dial plate 50 with the dark color in harmony with the color of the interior material of the vehicle.
For convenience in explanation and accurate definition in the appended claims, the terms “inner” or “outer”, “front” or “rear”, “inside” or “outside”, and etc. are used to describe features of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the positions of such features as displayed in the figures.
The foregoing descriptions of specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain certain principles of the invention and their practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to make and utilize various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, as well as various alternatives and modifications thereof. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the Claims appended hereto and their equivalents.

Claims (9)

What is claimed is:
1. A lighting apparatus of a clock for a vehicle, the lighting apparatus comprising:
a printed circuit board (PCB) for supplying power;
a light source electrically connected to the PCB and generating light;
a reflector installed to be positioned at a front of the light source and positioned in a case and guiding the light generated from the light source together with the case; and
a prism installed to be positioned at a front of the reflector and to surround a dial plate and concentrating the light guided by the reflector and the case into the dial plate,
wherein both the reflector and the case are positioned at a rear of the prism between the light source and the prism and the reflector and the case face each other and directly reflect the light therebetween,
wherein a bottom of the prism is provided with a plurality of diffusing dots implementing a rear lighting of the dial plate by refracting and scattering light that has been branched into the bottom of the prism,
wherein the prism is provided with side portions connected to the bottom of the prism, and
wherein the side portions surround an outer frame of the dial plate to prevent the light from being scattered and dissipated to a side of the dial plate.
2. The light apparatus of claim 1, wherein the light source is installed to be positioned between the case and the reflector.
3. The light apparatus of claim 1, wherein the light source is a light emitting diode (LED) light source.
4. The light apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reflector has a size smaller than the case, such that when the reflector is installed in the case, a space is formed between the case and the reflector, and
the light source is positioned in the space between the case and the reflector.
5. The light apparatus of claim 1, wherein the case serves as a wave guide reflecting light from the light source together with the reflector to thereby guide the light to the prism.
6. The light apparatus of claim 1, wherein the case has inner surfaces coated to reflect the light.
7. The light apparatus of claim 1, wherein the diffusing dots are formed on the bottom of the prism and protruded from the bottom of the prism toward the PCB.
8. The light apparatus of claim 1, wherein outer ends of the side portions are formed to include an inclined surface or surfaces to concentrate the light into a center of the dial plate, thereby implementing a side lighting of the dial plate by the side portions of the prism.
9. The light apparatus of claim 1, wherein the dial plate is formed to have a dark color in harmony with a color of an interior material, and
the dial plate is provided with a light transmitting part to secure visibility of a time display unit.
US14/322,621 2013-12-19 2014-07-02 Lighting apparatus of clock for vehicle Active 2034-09-04 US9395695B2 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
KR1020130159540A KR101620149B1 (en) 2013-12-19 2013-12-19 Lighting apparatus of clock for vehicle
KR10-2013-0159540 2013-12-19

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US20150175066A1 US20150175066A1 (en) 2015-06-25
US9395695B2 true US9395695B2 (en) 2016-07-19

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Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US9671757B1 (en) * 2015-12-29 2017-06-06 Michael M. Yuen Smartwatch assemblies having analog dials and related methods
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US9671757B1 (en) * 2015-12-29 2017-06-06 Michael M. Yuen Smartwatch assemblies having analog dials and related methods
US9696688B1 (en) * 2015-12-29 2017-07-04 Michael Yuen Smartwatch assemblies having analog dials and related methods
US9841735B2 (en) 2015-12-29 2017-12-12 Michael M. Yuen Smartwatch assemblies having analog dials with specific functionalities
US10120344B2 (en) 2015-12-29 2018-11-06 Michael M. Yuen Smartwatch assemblies having analog dials with specific functionalities

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